Fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum)
Fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum) commonly known as Bird's foot, Greek hayseed, trigonella, bockshornsame, Methi, and hu lu ba, is a herb known in the art of integrative medicine.
Fenugreek is used both as an herb (the leaves) and as the seeds. Fenugreek and products thereof are traditionally used as a demulcent, laxative, lactation stimulant. Fenugreek is a common constituent in the ayurvedic medicine. Fenugreek and products thereof have been proposed for treatment conditions as diverse as alopecia, arthritis, cancer, diabetes, gastro-intestinal disorders, high cholesterol, induce childbirth, infections, inflammation, stimulation of lactation, lymphadenitis, muscle pain, promote urination, skin ulcers, wound healing. Extracts of fenugreek show antimicrobial and nematocidal activity in vitro (reference: Zia et al. (2001) Phytotherapy Research 15:538). The mechanism of action is not well characterized. Most traditional uses of fenugreek are likely attributable to its high fibre content.
The FDA lists fenugreek as “generally regarded as safe”, although side effects such as bleeding, bruising, flatulence, diarrhea, gastrointestinal disturbances, and hypoglycemia have been reported.
According to references cited at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center's site regarding use of herbs in integrative medicine, the following substances are identified in fenugreek: Alkaloids: Trigonelline (yields nicotinic acid with roasting), gentianine, carpaine, choline; Proteins and amino acids: 4-Hydroxyisoleucine, histidine, lysine, arginine; Flavonoids: Apigenin, luteolin, orientin, vitexin, quercetin; Saponins: Graecunins, fenugrin B, fenugreekine, trigofoenosides A-G; Steroidal sapinogens: Yamogenin, diosgenin, smilagenin, sarsasapogenin, tigogenin, neotigogenin, gitogenin, neogitogenin, yuccagenin; Fiber: Gum, neutral detergent fiber; Other: Coumarin, lipids, vitamins, minerals.
One of the constituents of fenugreek, saponin is a mild detergent and used in applications such gently clean ancient manuscripts and textiles. In research the membrane permeabilizing properties are used in intracellular histochemistry staining applications to allow antibody access to intracellular proteins due to the membrane.